Lee Bell spoke to a number of senior players over the weekend, as he aims to make his mark in the Crewe Alexandra hotseat.

The interim manager held phone conversations with some of the club’s experienced professionals, to give them a flavour of what he expects.

He also spoke to his former managers, as he begins preparations for Saturday’s visit of Colchester United (3pm).

Bell said: “We are constantly speaking to the older players, but I had some very good conversations with them on the phone over the weekend.

“I want to give them ownership and make sure they are demanding high standards from the other players, as well as hitting those standards themselves.

“I want to build on all the good stuff that’s already been done here.

"I just want to take it up a notch in terms of how they are preparing for training sessions, what I expect sessions to look like, and what the players should expect from each other – not allowing standards to drop. There will be lots of tweaks here and there.”

He added: “I’ve worked with good managers away from this club and I take something from all of them.

“I’ve already spoken to a couple of them in great depth and they’ve given me advice, so I have a lot of experiences to draw upon.

“I played for a lot of winners, who found ways to win, and that’s what we have to do here.”

Bell took interim charge last week after Alex Morris stepped down to the number two role. His first game yielded a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.

He said: “It was a really proud day. To lead the team into a professional game, having been here for so long, was a proud moment and I thought the team put in a strong performance. 

“When I was younger I never thought I’d be in this sort of position, but I took a liking to (coaching) when I was in my mid-20s, and I’m delighted to still be at this football club.”